Expanding Library Resources for Data and Compute-Intensive Education and Research

Abstract

As reproducible research tools and skills become increasingly in-demand across disciplines, so too does the need for innovative and collaborative training. While some academic departments incorporate software like R or Python in coursework and research, many students remain reliant on self-teaching in order to gain the necessary skills to work with their data. However, given the growing number of students interested in computational tools and resources for research automation, relying on student self-teaching and learning is not an efficient method for training the next generation of scholars. To address the educational need for computational thinking and learning across various academic departments on campus, the UC San Diego Library has been running Software Carpentry workshops (two day bootcamps to introduce foundational programming concepts and best practices) since 2015. The Library, as a discipline-agnostic entity with a history of serving as a trusted resource for information, has been well positioned to provide training for this new era of research methodology. The core of our success is the collaboration with the growing community of Software and Data Carpentry instructors at UC San Diego with expertise in various research disciplines. Building on this strong partnership and leveraging the Library’s resources and expertise in digital literacy, the campus can better support data-driven and technologically-focused education and research.